In the opening scene of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare sets the setting for Rome as an aristocracy where the common workers are discriminated against and are easily manipulated by any with power. Initially, the cobbler and carpenter (common workers) parade in the streets to support triumphant Caesar, "to rejoice in his triumph" (1.1.34-35). They follow him simply because he is victorious and easy to look up to. Their loyalty does not stand strong, however; the commoners quickly betray him and give in to Marullus and Flavius, two anti-Caesar Senators, by the act of leaving the street. Their flexibility shows the fear among commoners of the ongoing power struggle between Caesar and the Senators. The two forces battle for control of the manipulable commoners, such as the shoe cobbler and carpenter. Flavius describes his plan to "pluck" the "growing feathers" of common people from beneath "Caesar's wing" (1.1.77). Such a dehumanizing description of the people he is supposed to represent in government establishes a setting of officials corrupted by power and greed. The senators only pretend to like common people because they realize Caesar's flight, his popularity and power, come only from the "feathers" that are common Romans. They will use these feathers to ground Caesar's power from its source: the common people.
